Primer

Welcome to the Political Cortex Primer.

As you might have noticed the Cortex works a bit differently
from all those other online political communities. This unique functioning
is the result of several features that we're introducing to the political web
for the very first time. And to ensure that you're comfortable with them and
able to take full advantage of everything this site has to offer, we've created
this primer. Here, we'll address a handfull of those features you've likely
not seen anywhere else before, offering a step-by-step walkthrough for
simple, fast, and total understanding.

Redundency: Note also that there is a deliberate degree of
redundancy throughout this Primer. This allows a reader to go directly to the
feature that matters to them at the moment without referring to other sections
of the document.

Read the FAQ: Even after you read and
understand everything in this primer, you should take the time to read the
entire FAQ. It will give you a much broader and more complete explanation of
the Cortex’s workings. More importantly,
it will ensure that you are able to take advantage of all the features offered
here. So let’s
begin.

Why are there so many posting options and how do I decide which one
to use?

One of the Cortex’s greatest features is that it really
puts the focus on the registered Cortex community, allowing not only “diaries” and “comments” (as
many other sites do), but also “Article Submissions” and “Quick
Posts”. Each of these offers a new venue for expressing your opinions
and sharing you knowledge, wit, and wisdom. So, when considering which which
one to post to, you can think of these options as a spectrum of story depth
and exposure:

“Article Submissions” – Post
here if your article is something into which you’ve poured
your heart and soul and believe that the front page is where it belongs.
Typically, these pieces are in-depth, well-researched, and dually fact-checked.
A solid point is backed by a well-reasoned argument. (300 word minimum)

“Diaries” – Post here if your
article is a bit more casual in nature OR if you want to avoid putting your
article up for a vote. (300 word minimum)

“Comments” – Post here if you
want to say virtually anything about the topic of the story to which you posted.
For more generic comments, links to articles or websites, etc. you should Comment
in an “Open Thread Diary “ which will periodically be posted by
administrators to provide for an open community discussion.

PART I ARTICLE SUBMISSION

Step 1) Click on the “Submit New Article” Link in
your “User Menu” located in the right-hand column. This will take
you to the “Submit New Article” posting interface.

Step 2) Please Read the Rules at the top very carefully before posting. Below
the rules listing, you will find the entry forms for your Article Submission.

Step 3) Across from the line heading “Post to:” you
will find 2 dropdown menus (If you’ve chosen the “Use WYSIWYG Editor” selection
in your preferences, then only the first dropdown menu will appear). The first
drop-down menu will offer the 3 selections: (See more about these sections
below)

· “Frontal Lobe” – Choose this
if you think your Article is best described as an opinion piece based mostly
on subjective observations, emotions, philosophy, etc.

· “Left Brain” – Choose this if
you think your Article is best described as an Analysis (using more objective
means – statistics, facts, figures, quotes to point to a particular conclusion)
or an Investigation”

· “Code Blue” – Choose this if
you think your Article is best described as pertaining to Activism”

If you feel yours is a hybrid, don’t worry. Simply choose the section
that you feel it leans toward most. There will be other methods of categorization
to further identify your masterpiece.

Step 4) The second drop down menu (You will only see this
if you are using the basic editor) determines how your typed text will be interpreted
for display. ** We almost always recommend that you use "Auto
Format"! ** -- especially if you are unsure of what this selection
does. But for reference, here is what each selection does:

o “Auto Format” -- Converts your writing to
HTML but it offers the additional advantage of adding most basic tags for further
text customization.

o "HTML" -- Reads your entry exactly as though
it is written in strict HTML.

Step 5) Next you will see a checkbox titled, “Request editorial
feedback: Initially puts post in the 'Edit Queue'.”

o If it is checked (which it is by default), your article submission will
be sent to the “Edit queue” for a period of time before it is sent
to the “Voting Queue”.

o If you UN-check it, your article submission will be sent to the “Voting
queue”.

Note: We will discuss these queues in detail below. **
We highly recommend that you use the Edit queue"! ** -- especially
if you are a new member or working to improve your journalistic writing skills.
It can be a very enlightening experience.

Step 6) Title: - Come up with a spectacular title for your
story. Something informative and catchy that summarizes your article while
drawing the reader's attention.

Step 7) Keywords: This is a Required Field and it
is very important to the functioning of the site! Enter up to three
keywords, separated by commas, that you believe best describe the content
of your submission. Use those keywords that you think a person would need
to enter into a search engine in order for your article to appear. Please
browse the Keyword
List for possible choices, check your spelling, and use Full
names (e.g. Use George W. Bush and Valerie Plame rather than just Bush and
Plame).

Step 8) Intro: - A two or three-paragraph introduction.
State what it is you’re writing about, why you are writing about it,
and a short introduction to it. This is your chance to bring the reader into
the rest of the story. Do not enter your entire submission in this area. In
fact the introduction will be limited to 300 words. If your entire submission
is less than three hundred words, then you should post your submission as a “Quick
Post” since both “Article Submissions” and “Diaries” have
a 300-word minimum (Intro+Body).

Step 9) Body: - This is where you enter the remainder of
your story. Please do not include your introduction here again. Any images
should go in this area.

Notice the style buttons that sit on top of each of the text entry
boxes (In the basic default version). Hover your cursor over each
button to see what it does. To use them, simply highlight the desired text
and click on the desired button. Here a little experimentation goes a long
way. In addition, there is an “MS Word” style editor that is
far more feature-rich. You can choose this version in your preference page
entitled “Interface”. Simply check the box that reads, “Use
WYSIWYG Editor:” This comes complete with it’s own “Help” button
that you can see once the preference is chosen and saved. (The blue question
mark button found at the bottom of the Intro or Body text entry box).

Polls : Polls are not required, but if you wish to attach
a relevant poll to your article, and it’s well thought out, they can
often add a bit of spice and insight for the community.

Step 10) Multiple or Single selection: If you choose to
include a poll with your article, you must also choose whether you wish to
present one that allows only a single selection by each user (in
which case the vote percentages for all selection will sum to 100%) OR Allow
multiple selections (in which case the vote percentages for each selection
could be 100%). The “multiple selections” option would be useful
if, for example, you were trying to determine the top 3 candidates (out of
10). If you choose to “allow multiple selections” then make sure
the associated checkbox is checked.

Step 11) Enter the Question that you want answered by the
poll.

Step 12) Enter up to 10 possible answers to the question
you posed in Step 11).

Step 13) Preview: Click on the “Preview” Button. Preview
the article a few times and make as many changes as needed. Click on all links
and make sure they go where you want them to. Read your article aloud. Keep
re-previewing it until you are 100% happy with it. Then preview it again.

Congratulations! You’ve just completed the Submission
Process, now it’s on to the Editing and Voting Process.

PART II – EDITING QUEUE

EDIT QUEUE: If you chose to “Request Editorial Feedback” by
checking the related checkbox, your article will initially be placed in the "edit
queue". This is where all logged-in members of the community
can view your article and make constructive suggestions for improvement.

Step 1) Click on the “Vote/Edit Submissions” link in
your User Menu located in the right-hand column. This will take you to the
queue that will list all article submissions in both the “Editing” and
the “Voting” Process. Find your article (designated by Title and
User Name).

Step 2) Since yours is in the “Edit queue”, it
will have the word “edit” in the “Score” column. If
it has something other than “edit” under score, then the “Request
Editorial Feedback” checkbox was not checked when you pressed the “Submit” button
on the posting page. In either case, you will have to enter the queue by clicking
on either the Title or the word “edit”.

Step 3) Once there, Scroll down till you get to a pair of
buttons titled “Edit Story” and “Cancel Submission” and
a checkbox followed by, “ Confirm cancel?”

If you want to Cancel the Submission: As the author of this
story, you may cancel the submission at any time during voting by simply checking
the “Confirm cancel?” checkbox and then clicking on "Cancel
Submission".

Step 4) Read the editorial comments that have been posted
by the community. If, after considering their advice, you wish to further edit
your submission, then click on the "Edit Story" button found just
above the comments section. This will take you back to the posting page where
you originally insert your Article information.

Step 5) Make any desired changes to your submission. Preview
your changes by clicking on the “Preview” button. Once satisfied
with the changes you’ve made, move on to Step 6.

Step 6) Decide whether you want to resubmit your article back to
the “Edit Queue” or move it to the “Voting Queue”.

o To return the story to Editing , make sure the "Request
editorial feedback" checkbox remains checked and then click on the “Submit” button.

o To move the story to Voting , uncheck "Request editorial
feedback" and then click on the “Submit” button.

Step 7) If you returned to Editing, then you can go back
to “Step 1)” and continue this process for a maximum of 3 hours
before the system automatically sends your submission to the Voting Queue.

Note: It’s considered good etiquette to post an editorial
comment with your plans for editing the story. For example, if you will be
working or sleeping for some of the time the story is in the edit queue, you
should say you will not be able to respond to comments during those times so
that other users do not feel you are simply ignoring any advice they give.

To move your article directly from the “Edit” queue to
the “Vote” queue without further revision, you will
still have to click on the "Edit Story" button found just above
the comments section. This will take you back to the posting page where you
originally inserted your Article information. To move the story to
Voting, uncheck "Request editorial feedback" and then
click on the “Submit” button.

PART III – VOTING QUEUE

VOTING QUEUE: Once you have Submitted (or moved) your Article
to the “Voting Queue”, the Registered members of the Cortex community
can vote whether to Post it to the “Top-Rated Submissions” Column
on the front page or over to the “Recent Diaries” listing over
in the right hand column.

You can monitor the voting progress by doing the following:

Step 1) Click on the “Vote/Edit Submissions” link in
your User Menu located in the right-hand column. This will take you to the
queue that will list all article submissions in both the “Editing” and
the “Voting” Process. Find your article (designated by Title and
User Name).

Step 2) Since yours is now in the “Vote queue”, it
will have the number in the “Score” column. This is the net sum
of all “+1 votes” (Post to front page) and all “-1 votes” (Send
to the ‘Recent Diaries’).

Step 3) Compare this score to the “Post Threshold” (Score
needed for your article to post to the front page) and the “Hide
threshold” (Score needed for your article to be sent to the “Recent
Diaries” listing.).

Timeout: If your post sits in the Voting queue for 6 hours
without achieving either the “Post” or “Hide” threshold,
then a stealth calculation takes place that determines whether or not the article
is then posted to the "Top-Rated Submissions" Column on the front
page or to the "Recent Diaries".

Canceling your submission: If you decide you want to Cancel
the Submission, you will have to enter your story’s voting
page by clicking on its Title in the queue listing. Once there, Scroll down
till you get to a button titled “Cancel Submission” next to a
checkbox followed by, “ Confirm cancel? ” C
heck the “Confirm cancel?” checkbox and then click on "Cancel
Submission".

DIARIES

Step 1) Click on the “Create New Diary Entry” Link in
your “User Menu” located in the right-hand column. This will take
you to the “Create New Diary Entry” posting interface.

Step 2) Please Read the Rules at the top very carefully before posting. Below
the rules listing, you will find the entry forms for your Article Submission.

Step 3) Across from the line heading “Post to:” you
will find The word [Diary] and a single dropdown menu (If you’ve chosen
the “Use WYSIWYG Editor” selection in your preferences, then only
the word Diary will appear and you can ignore this step). The drop down menu
(You will only see this if you are using the basic editor) determines how your
typed text will be interpreted for display. ** We almost always recommend
that you use "Auto Format"! ** -- especially if you are
unsure of what this selection does. But for reference, here is what each selection
does:

o “Auto Format” -- Converts your writing to
HTML but it offers the additional advantage of adding most basic tags for further
text customization.

o "HTML" -- Reads your entry exactly as though
it is written in strict HTML.

Step 4) Title: - Come up with a spectacular title for your
story. Something informative and catchy that summarizes your article while
drawing the reader's attention.

Step 5) Keywords: This is a Required Field and it
is very important to the functioning of the site! Enter up to three
keywords, separated by commas, that you believe best describe the content
of your submission. Use those keywords that you think a person would need
to enter into a search engine in order for your article to appear. Please
browse the Keyword
List for possible choices, check your spelling, and use Full
names (e.g. Use George W. Bush and Valerie Plame rather than just Bush and
Plame).

Step 6) Intro: - A two or three-paragraph introduction.
State what it is you’re writing about, why you are writing about it,
and a short introduction to it. This is your chance to bring the reader into
the rest of the story. Do not enter your entire submission in this area. In
fact the introduction will be limited to 300 words. If your entire submission
is less than three hundred words, then you should post your submission as a “Quick
Post” since both “Article Submissions” and “Diaries” have
a 300-word minimum (Intro+Body).

Step 7) Body: - This is where you enter the remainder of
your story. Please do not include your introduction here again. Any images
should go in this area.

Notice the style buttons that sit on top of each of the text entry
boxes (In the basic default version). Hover your cursor over each
button to see what it does. To use them, simply highlight the desired text
and click on the desired button. Here a little experimentation goes a long
way. In addition, there is an “MS Word” style editor that is
far more feature-rich. You can choose this version in your preference page
entitled “Interface”. Simply check the box that reads, “Use
WYSIWYG Editor:” This comes complete with it’s own “Help” button
that you can see once the preference is chosen and saved. (The blue question
mark button found at the bottom of the Intro or Body text entry box).

Polls : Polls are not required, but if you wish to attach
a relevant poll to your article, and it’s well thought out, they can
often add a bit of spice and insight for the community.

Step 8) Multiple or Single selection: If you choose to include
a poll with your article, you must also choose whether you wish to present
one that allows only a single selection by each user (in which
case the vote percentages for all selection will sum to 100%) OR Allow
multiple selections (in which case the vote percentages for each selection
could be 100%). The “multiple selections” option would be useful
if, for example, you were trying to determine the top 3 candidates (out of
10). If you choose to “allow multiple selections” then make sure
the associated checkbox is checked.

Step 9) Enter the Question that you want answered by the
poll.

Step 10) Enter up to 10 possible answers to the question
you posed in Step 11).

Step 11) Preview: Click on the “Preview” Button. Preview
the article a few times and make as many changes as needed. Click on all links
and make sure they go where you want them to. Read your article aloud. Keep
re-previewing it until you are 100% happy with it. Then preview it again.

Editing the Community’s “Article Submissions” is quite simple.
In essence the community offers constructive editorial advice
to the Author of the article via the use of “Editorial Comments” within
the “Editing” queue. The author considers these comments while
hopefully engaging in a dialogue with the community editors. He or she then
decides whether or not to modify the article before sending it on to the “Voting” queue
where Democracy may run its course.

Note: In order to take part in this process you must be a
registered member of the Cortex community! You can register here. It’s
free. It’s fast. It’s fun.

Acting as a community Editor

Step 1) Click on the “Vote/Edit Submissions” Link in your “User
Menu” located in the right-hand column. This will take you to a queue
that lists all article submissions in both the “Editing” and the “Voting” queues.
Articles are designated by Title and User Name.

Step 2) Those submissions in the “Edit queue” will have
the word “edit” in the “Score” column. Those
submissions in the “Vote queue” will have the word “vote” in
the “Score” column OR, if you have already voted on them, they
will show a number. That is their current score.

Step 3) If there is a Submission in the “edit” queue,
that means someone is requesting your editorial advice. Click on
the Article’s Title or the word “edit” to enter that Submission’s
page,

Step 4) Once in the page, read the article noting anything that you
would change to maximize the value of the Article. Anything is game – content
changes, additional information, better sourcing, improved grammar and reduced
typos. Anything that will improve the quality of the submission. You can
also mention where you think the article's strengths lie. The only rule is
that you BE CONSTRUCTIVE.

Step 5) Below the article, you will find the Comments section.
At the top left of the comments section there is a “View” drop-down
menu. If it doesn’t already say "Editorial Only", then choose
the selection “Editorial Only”. This will ensure that
any editorial comment you leave now becomes hidden when the article is finally
posted.

Congratulations! You’ve just helped improve the content quality
of the article, the Cortex, and the Progressive movement. Not bad for a few
minute’s work!.

Note: Feel free to make editorial suggestions to any post
in the edit queue and please be courteous. Unproductive comments and insults
are unacceptable and incredibly lame. The Author is asking for your assistance
and surely doesn’t care to hear any jokes at his or her expense. The
Golden Rule applies here as does it everywhere.

Is it SPAM? If you feel that an article is abusing the edit
queue, press the "Spam" button. Abuse of the queue includes advertisements,
crap floods (nonsense posted to disrupt normal activity) and using the queue
as publication medium i.e. an article that exists to sit in the edit queue.
If enough users press the "Spam" button, the article will be moved
to the voting queue where the post can be quickly posted into oblivion.

Now for the Democracy! How do I vote on the Article Submissions?

Once an Article has been Submitted to the “Voting Queue”, the
Registered members of the Cortex community can vote whether to Post it to the “Top-Rated
Submissions” Column on the front page or over to the “Recent Diaries” listing
in the right hand column.

Each Registered Cortex member has a single vote. Use your
power….wisely -- because you cannot take it back!

Casting the Vote!

Step 1) Click on the “Vote/Edit Submissions” link in
your User Menu located in the right-hand column. This will take you to the
queue that will list all article submissions in both the “Editing” and
the “Voting” Process. Articles are designated by Title and User
Name.

Step 2) Those submissions in the “Vote queue” will have
the word “vote” in the “Score” column OR,
if you have already voted on them, they will show a number. That is their
current score. The Article's score (or net vote total) is the net sum of
all “+1 votes” (Post to front page) and all “-1 votes” (Send
to the ‘Recent Diaries’).

Step 3) If you already voted, you can monitor the articles
progress by comparing this score to the “Post Threshold” (Score
needed for the article to post to the front page) and the “Hide threshold” (Score
needed for the article to be sent to the “Recent Diaries” listing.).
Both thresholds are displayed at the top of the queue.

Step 4) If you have yet to vote, then click on the Submission’s
Title or the word “vote” in the associated line in the
queue. This will take you to the voting page.

Step 5) When you get to that page, you will see the actual
story that is up for vote. Read it and scroll down to the area just above the
comments section. There you will find the voting mechanism – a drop-down
menu with the words “Your Vote:” preceding it.

You have three options when it comes to voting:

1) “Post
it to the Front page (+1)” - Choose
this if you like the story, or feel it is really worthy of being on the front
page. If the story is voted “up” it will post to the “Top-Rated
Submissions” in the middle column of the Front Page!

2) “Abstain
(0)” - Choose this if you
do not really care either way about the article. Note: that
even these votes are important since, in the event of a “Time-out” (see
below) where the submission has remained in the voting queue for too long,
the voting threshold that determines whether or not an article makes it to
the “Top-Rated Submissions” column is calculated using the total number
of votes made. That includes the “Abstain” since such a vote certainly
says something about the article in question – especially if there are
many of them.

3) “Make it a Diary Entry! (-1)” - Choose
this if you do not feel the article is worthy of posting as a “Top-Rated
Submission”.

Once you’ve voted, this part of the page will change to reflect your
vote.

Timeout: If a post sits in the Voting queue for 6 hours without
achieving either the “Post” or “Hide” threshold, then
a stealth calculation takes place that determines whether or not the article
is then posted to the "Top-Rated Submissions" Column on the front
page or to the "Recent Diaries".

Congratulations! You have just performed your civic duty as a vote-wielding
Cortexan!